Shooting range projectile traps include various apparatuses for preventing fragments of lead and other metals from escaping the traps and becoming a hazard to health and the environment. A problem associated with these traditional systems and methods is that bullets contact the trap's impact plates at high momentums and at a variety of angles, which invariably ricochet at relatively high angles of incidence and may ultimately impact at a high angle against interior surfaces. Often this results in a shattering and fragmentation of bullets, projectiles, and the like. Further, these systems often suffer from high rates of deterioration of the impact plate wall and other interior surfaces. A still further problem associated with previous conventional systems is the escape of a bullet or its fragments from confinement in the chamber, and may contribute to lead pollution of the environment.
One type of shooting range introduced by the Applicant includes joining individual projectile traps configured as deceleration trap chamber units with fluid systems. These deceleration trap chamber units are often characterized as snail chambers in that in they have a bullet entry funnel opening toward a shooting station with the funnel at the top of a substantially cylindrical chamber, resembling the cross section of a snail shell. The bullet can enter the substantially cylindrical chamber from the funnel and travel somewhat circularly around the inner periphery of the circular chamber until the bullet loses energy. A slot in the bottom of the chamber allows bullets and fragments to fall into a bin below the chamber. The slot is open in a direction opposite that of the bullet travel such that the bullets exit only after they loose velocity and settle to the bottom of the chamber.
The bullet entry funnel has a upper planar funnel panel angled upwardly at an acute angle from horizontal, the upper funnel panel joined in a tangential manner with the top rear chamber wall forming the cylindrical chamber. A lower funnel planar panel positioned at an acute angle below horizontal forms the other half of the funnel defining a horizontally extending funnel opening. The lower funnel panel is attached to an outer surface of a forward chamber wall that forms the substantially cylindrical chamber. The lower planar funnel panel may also be attached to the forward wall forming the cylindrical chamber in a tangential manner. The lower surface of the lower funnel panel is attached to the outer surface of the forward chamber wall. The lower funnel panel and forward cylindrical chamber defining a space that converges towards and stops at the juncture of the panel and wall.
Additionally Applicant has increased the effectiveness of these systems, particularly with respect to reducing airborne lead dust from bullets, by making the systems “wet”. In such systems fluid, such as water and a aqueous oil, are pumped from a reservoir and dispersed on the top surface of the lower funnel panel providing a sheet of downwardly flowing fluid that covers the top surface of the panel. The fluid is collected in a forward sump and then transferred to the reservoir. When bullets strike the top surface of the lower panel, debris is collected in the water to flow to the sump. Moreover, striking the water can take some of the energy from the fired bullet. Additionally, fluid is pumped to the top of the deceleration trap chamber units and dispersed from the juncture of the upper panel and the top rear chamber wall and which are sprayed into the cylindrical chamber from the top of the deceleration trap chamber unit. Such a location requires exposed plumbing on the top of the deceleration trap chamber units and where two or more such units are connected, the plumbing will typically extend the length of the combined units and/or have lines running on top of and behind the units.
Any improvements in the cost and performance of such “wet” systems, or in a reduction in complexity without sacrificing performance would be welcome.